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Webster University

Coordinates: 38°35′21″N 90°20′45″W / 38.5892°N 90.3457°W / 38.5892; -90.3457
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Webster University
File:Webster Logo.jpg
TypePrivate
Established1915
Endowment$61.9 million[1]
ChancellorNeil George
PresidentElizabeth J. Stroble
Academic staff
15:1 student-faculty ratio; 184 full-time, 1,538 adjunct [2]
Students20710 [3]
Location
Webster Groves
,
Missouri
,
USA
CampusSt. Louis main campus 47 acres,[4] plus more than 100 others globally
ColorsNavy, gold, and white
NicknameWebster
MascotGorlok
WebsiteWebster.edu

Webster University is an American private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[5] Webster University is ranked 24th among regional universities (Midwest), according to college and university rankings in US News. [6]

Webster operates as an independent, non-denominational university with more than 100 campus locations around the world, including Webster University Geneva, Webster University Thailand, Webster University Vienna, Regent's American College London, and Webster University Leiden. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a wide array of disciplines, including the liberal arts, fine and performing arts, teacher education, business and management.

In Fall 2008, the university enrolled about 21,000 students (15,832 graduate students; 4,887 undergraduate students) around the globe who range from traditional college-age students to adult learners. They represent 49 states and more than 150 nationalities.[2]

History

It was founded in 1915 by the Sisters of Loretto as Loretto College, and as a Catholic women's colleges. The first male students were admitted in 1962. The Sisters of Loretto transferred the university to a Board of Directors in 1967.

Webster participated in early racial integration battles in St. Louis. During the early 1940s, many local priests, especially Jesuits, challenged the segregationist policies at the city's Catholic colleges and parochial schools. The St. Louis chapter of the Midwest Clergy Conference on Negro Welfare arranged in 1943 for Webster College to admit a black female student, Mary Aloyse Foster, which would make it the city's first Catholic college to integrate. However, in 1943 Archbishop John J. Glennon blocked that student's enrollment by speaking privately with the Kentucky-based superior of the Sisters of Loretto.[7] The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper with national circulation, discovered Glennon's actions and ran a front-page feature on the Webster incident in February 1944.[8] The negative publicity toward Glennon's segregationist policies led Saint Louis University to begin admitting African American students in summer 1944.[9] In fall 1945, Webster College responded to pressure by admitting Irene Thomas, a Catholic African-American woman from St. Louis, as a music major.[10]

Academics

Webster University in 2007

Colleges include the College of Arts & Sciences, the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology, the School of Communications, and the School of Education.[11]

Webster University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (North Central Association),[12] the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP),[13] the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM),[14] the National League for Nursing (NLN),[15] the Council on Accreditation (COA),[16] the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE),[17] the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,[18] and the National Board for Certified Counselors.[19]

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey speaking at the university in 2008

Webster University also hosts a speaker series, originally titled The Success to Significance Speaker Series and now known as the Walker Speaker Series, that has featured business professionals including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Edward Whitacre, Jr., former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of AT&T Inc., and August A. Busch IV, President & CEO of Anheuser-Busch.[20]

Campus

See also: List of Webster University campus locations
Webster University campus in Leiden

Webster University's "home campus" is located in Webster Groves,[21] a suburb of St. Louis. The university maintains nearly 100 campuses across the U.S. and abroad.[22] Many of the domestic campuses are located near military bases; some are located in various metropolitan areas. The international campuses are located in several European countries including Switzerland, Austria, and The Netherlands; several are also located in Asia, such as in Thailand and China.[23]

In addition to its own international campuses, Webster has also formed partnerships with a few universities that are based in the country of interest. For example, The Webster Graduate School is tied with Regent's College in London[24]; and Webster maintains a relationship with Kansai University in Osaka, Japan[25] and with The Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico.[26]

Because of the nature of the Webster system worldwide, it is relatively easy for Webster students to study at different campuses. Some students elect to study abroad for an entire semester (16 weeks) at a single campus, or to move to a new campus after a single term (8 weeks). There are also short-term programs to locations that may not be tied to Webster permanently; often, these programs are faculty-led.[27] Also, Webster maintains affiliations with over two dozen American universities that allows students of the affiliate universities to study abroad on international Webster campuses.[28]

Webster University has recently established graduate degree programs that take advantage of the international network of campuses.[29] While enrolled in these programs, students travel between campuses and take classes at each for a short duration of approximately 9 weeks[30]. The Global MBA[31] and the Global M.A. in International Relations[32] are the two extant programs.

Athletics

Webster University's athletic mascot is the Gorlok. Athletic teams participate in Division III (NCAA) and in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).[33]

  • Men's Sports: Baseball; basketball; cross country; golf; soccer; tennis; and, track and field
  • Women's Sports: Basketball; cross country; soccer; softball; tennis; track and field; and, volleyball

People

Students

Webster University in the Fall 2008 enrolled 4,887 undergraduate students and 15,823 graduate students.[34] The average SAT composite score for the undergraduate class was 1,194. The average ACT composite score was 24. Students come from 49 states and more than 122 countries.

Webster University St. Louis has a student newspaper called The Journal and a student radio station called The Galaxy. The Galaxy was re-launched online in 2007.[35] The campus GTV station (Gorlok Television) is operated by students. Webster University has student magazine called The Ampersand, which is published twice a year, as well as other newsletters and departmental publications.

Webster University Vienna has a student newspaper called the "Vienna Review."

Webster University recently allowed the formation of the first Greek organization on its St. Louis campus, with the founding of the 152nd Chapter of Delta Upsilon and the founding of the Gamma Zeta Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon.

Faculty

Professors for the university have included Missouri poet laureate David Clewell,[36] video artist Van McElwee,[37] United Nations Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women Rashida Manjoo,[38] activist and writer Sulak Sivaraksa, sound engineer Bill Porter, and former Missouri Governor Bob Holden.[39]

Alumni

See also: List of Webster University alumni

Alumni include William Broad, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for The New York Times;[40] Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice;[40] Lloyd James Austin III, Army General;[41] Clarence Harmon, former Mayor and Chief of Police for St. Louis;[40] and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.[42] R. Alan King Military Veteran (Panama and Iraq) and author of Twice Armed: An American Soldiers Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq - Winner of 2008 William E. Colby Award.


References

  1. ^ As of August 31, 2010. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2010 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2009 to FY 2010" (PDF). 2010 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Webster University Fact Sheet
  3. ^ >http://www.webster.edu/shared/shared_aboutwebster/factsheet.pdf
  4. ^ "Webster University - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report". Usnews.com. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  5. ^ "Webster University:". Webster.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  6. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/webster-university-2521
  7. ^ Donald J. Kemper, "Catholic Integration in St. Louis, 1935-1947," Missouri Historical Review, Oct. 1978, pp. 1-13.
  8. ^ Ted LeBerthon, "Why Jim Crow Won at Webster College," Pittsburgh Courier, 5 Feb. 1944, p. 13.
  9. ^ "Pressure Grows to Have Catholic College Doors Open to Negroes," Pittsburgh Courier, 19 Feb. 1944, p. 1; "St. Louis U. Lifts Color Bar: Accepts Five Negroes for Summer Session," Pittsburgh Courier, 6 May 1944, p. 1.
  10. ^ "Missouri College Admits Race Girl," Pittsburgh Courier, 13 Oct. 1945, p. 1.
  11. ^ Webster University website
  12. ^ The Higher Learning Commission website
  13. ^ Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs website
  14. ^ National Association of Schools of Music website
  15. ^ National League of Nursing website
  16. ^ Council on Accreditation website
  17. ^ National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education website
  18. ^ Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website
  19. ^ National Board for Certified Counselors
  20. ^ Walker School of Business website
  21. ^ Webster University website
  22. ^ Webster University website
  23. ^ Webster University website
  24. ^ Regent's College website
  25. ^ Webster University Japan program website
  26. ^ Webster University Mexico program website
  27. ^ Webster University Study Abroad website
  28. ^ Webster University website affiliates list
  29. ^ Webster University website: International Academic Programs
  30. ^ Global MBA website
  31. ^ Global MBA website
  32. ^ Global MA in International Relations
  33. ^ Webster University Athletics website
  34. ^ http://www.webster.edu/shared/shared_aboutwebster/factsheet.pdf
  35. ^ The Galaxy at Webster University
  36. ^ "Webster University - English - Faculty". Webster.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  37. ^ "Webster University: School of Communications: Van McElwee". Webster.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  38. ^ http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/0/45FE9FE81A1861D0C125761F0031B4C9?opendocument
  39. ^ "Holden Public Policy Forum". Webster.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  40. ^ a b c http://www.webster.edu/alumni/documents/award_recipients.pdf
  41. ^ [1][dead link]
  42. ^ "Webster University". Admissions.webster.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-29.

38°35′21″N 90°20′45″W / 38.5892°N 90.3457°W / 38.5892; -90.3457

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